Bass Fishing Rigs

Before going on your next bass fishing trip you should spend some planning ahead. Take a look at the weather and decide which rigs you should bring with you. Load your tackle box with the tackle and rigs you think will get you the best results. Try some of these rigs mentioned below on your next trip. Make sure they are versatile and keep the fish interested.

Fishing Rigs

Rigs are the arrangement of tackle used while fishing. Fishing rigs can consist of one or more lines, hooks, sinkers, bobbers, lures, and other types of fishing tackle. You can find rigs that are designed to float close to the surface of the water while others are designed to sink to the bottom. How you set up your tackle on your rig will affect how the bait or lure is presented to fish and whether or not they will bite.

There are plenty of rigs designed for specific fish. Even though they were made with one fish in mind, some rigs can be used to catch other species of fish. Using the right rig can make a difference in your catch of the day.

How to Rig Fishing Line

Setting up to rig your line is a fairly simple process. First you choose the rod, reel, and line that you wish to use. Then you spool the line onto your reel and pick the hook and lures you think would work best. Be sure to try your luck with different types of hooks and lures to see which ones will get you the best results. If you have specific rigs in mind, try doing a little research about them to see the best way to attach to lure to the hooks.

Best Bass Rigs

We already know that bass can tricky to try and catch. Making sure you are at the right location, weather, and time of year is half the battle. Getting the right bass fishing rods, line, and proper rigs are the other half. The rigs are what can lure the bass and get them to bite. Try some of these rigs to get the most bass for your casts.

These are the Best Fishing Rigs for Bass:

1. Texas Rig
2. Carolina Rig
3. Shaky Head Rig
4. Drop Shot Rig
5. Wacky Rig

Texas Rig

The Texas rig is one of the simplest and most popular bass rigs. It is most commonly used with soft plastic lures or live bait, and when rigged correctly it can be relatively weedless and snagless. The Texas rig works well in areas with heavy cover.

Hook your bait, often a soft plastic worm at the nose of the worm, until you reach the turn of the hook. Poke the hook out the side and pull the hook all the way though your bait to the eye of the hook. The hook should be pointed back towards the body of the worm, and hooked back in to keep the worm straight. Most anglers also attach a cone-shaped weight to the leader right above the hook, as well as a bead to keep the sliding weight off the hook.

Carolina Rig

The Carolina rig is a versatile rig known for catching bass. It can be fished with a variety of plastic lures or live bait – choose your lure based on environment, fishing style, and the type of bass you hope to catch.

The standard Carolina rig setup includes a heavy, bullet-shaped sinker, a bead, swivel, leader, and hook. An offset round hook is commonly used. String your line through the sinker with the bullet pointed down. Attach a bead to protect the knot from the friction of the sinker. Add a swivel at the end of your main line, and tie your leader to the other side of the sinker leading to the hook. Attach your preferred lure and you’re all set.

Shaky Head Rig

This rig is one of the best bass rigs you can use. It is very rare to not catch fish using this rig. The shaky head rig can manage to turn a no-bite day into one with plenty of bites. This rig is best used when conditions are tough. The shaky head rig gets those tight lipped largemouth bass and smallmouth bass to bite.

To set up a shaky head rig, you’ll need a jighead and hook. Finesse worms are the most popular bait to use. Attach the worm to your hook similarly to the Texas rig, forcing the hook back through the worm for a weedless design. The jig head is commonly a round jig head or a standup jig head, depending on the environment you’re fishing. A ⅛ ounce jig head tends to be the standard.

Drop Shot Rig

A drop shot rig works similarly to the California rig. The difference is that this rig allows you to place the worm as high above the sinker as you want. This gives you better vertical fishing in any depth of water. All you need for this rig is a drop shot hook, drop weight, and a plastic worm typically.

To rig a drop shot rig, tie a standard knot to your hook but leave a long tag line, from 6 inches to feet lower than the hook. At the bottom of the tag end, attach a drop shot weight or a bell sinker. Your bait can be Texas rigged onto the hook.

Wacky Rig

A Wacky Rig is a misleading name for this rig because there is nothing wacky about it. It is actually a very realistic looking rig. This allows a horizontally placed plastic worm to drift downward slowly. If you want the worm to sink faster, you can use the wacky rig weight.

All you need for this rig is a circle hook and a plastic worm. Hook the worm through the middle of its body so it presents horizontally. You can get a wacky rig weight to drop your bait lower, but it isn’t necessary for the functionality of this rig.

Bass Fishing Setup and More

Try these popular bass rigs to hook more fish out on the water. The best bass rigs are not complete without the best hooks for bass, best line, and best bass lures. Find this information and more on Fishmasters!